THUNDER BAY – When Barry Caland was 15, his parents decided it was time to move to a different house.
His father asked him where he wanted to move, giving the budding young golfer a chance to have a say in the family decision.
“I’ll never forget the day. I turned to him and I said, ‘As close to Strathcona as possible.’ Being asked that question by my father, and him actually complying with my request – we lived two blocks west of the 10th hole – that changed the course of my life,” Caland said.
Caland, who went on to win a record seven Strathcona Invitational championships, is not alone.
Strathcona Golf Course has been an integral part of Thunder Bay’s golfing fabric for the past 100 years, the course is set to celebrate its centennial anniversary on Sept. 7.
On Wednesday, dozens of members past and present came together to mark the anniversary and showcase the history of a course that sits on land once used as a rifle range for soldiers preparing to fight in 1915.
Nearly two decades before the course opened in 1925, the city of Port Arthur purchased a parcel of land, known as the Strathcona Property and named after Scottish fur trader Alexander Smith, also known as Lord Strathcona.
Eighteen years later, in 1924, city council granted 125 acres of the land to the parks board for the purpose of building a municipal golf course.
Designed at a cost of $35,000, which included the clubhouse, the course was opened by Mayor James White Crooks, the day featuring a best-ball match between Johnny Henry and Jean McGregor and Port Arthur Country Club pro Aldolph Pilon and W.S. Hunt.
The cost to play nine holes – the course wouldn’t expand to 18 holes until 1930 – was 25 cents and annual dues were $12.50 for men, $10 for women and $20 per family.
Two years later, in 1927, the course hired its first pro, Robert Cunningham and in 1932 Charlie Nixon took on the role, which he held through the 1961 season.
The Invitational, the jewel of the local tournament golf calendar, started five years after the course opened.
Chic Hutcheon, a member for 66 years, is usually the first golfer out each morning. He said the course is a challenge he looks forward to each and every day.
Strathcona has more than served its purpose over the past century.
“I think the city needs facilities like this for the people who are moving here and the kids who are able to play here for what it costs to play. You can buy a membership and it’s certainly a lot less expensive than hockey. It’s good for the younger population, though it’s not as many as there used to be,” said Hutchen, a two-time Invitational super-senior champ, who also won the senior title in 1993.
Pat Berezowski, the city’s supervisor of golf services, said history is a big part of Strathcona lore. Something kept alive by its membership over the years.
“All I’m trying to do is make it more visible for the public, for up-and-coming junior golfers who would not see a program from the Strathcona Invitational, but they will see this collage every day when they come here and putt. That’s going to keep the history alive and push more history for the next 100 years,” said Berezowski, after unveiling the collage.
Berezowski said the course, which does make the city a profit these days, has long proven itself as a safe space, with elementary school kids and adults in their 90s sharing the same space.
“They’re all learning life skills. They’re not perfect all the time, but they learn off each other. And the generation of families that have brought their kids out through their grandparents, it just continues. I don’t know of any other sport that follows that pattern.”
